ONE of Southport’s oldest roads is to be resurfaced – after years of pleas from tormented residents.

Shellfield Road in Marshside will close for 13 weeks from March as Sefton Council relays the stretch of road from Kirkham Road to Larkfield Lane.

Homeowners and their families there say they have faced problems such as holes and cracks in the road for more than two decades.

Back in September 2006, the Southport Visiter reported how residents described the road as ‘disappearing’.

But following the completion of sewer maintenance by United Utilities, the authority has finally given the go-ahead for contractors to carry out much needed road repair work.

Christine Wainwright said residents had waited a “a long, long time.”

She said: “We have lost hub caps and a battery over the years from driving on Shellfield Road. It is like a rollercoaster.

“You can leave for work in the morning and when you return there’s a new pothole. If you don’t know it’s there, it can cause a lot of damage.

“The other half of Shellfield Road was resurfaced a while ago and it is fantastic that they are going to do the rest of it.”

Shellfield Road resident Gordon Croston, 88, said the perilous state of the road had caused damage to vehicles.

He said: “The road is built on sand and subsequently there have been a number of subsidence problems. Holes in the road have been the cause of the occasional accident.

“It will be pleasing when it is finally resurfaced for the sake of both my own car and other people’s.”

According to North Meols Civic Society chairman Ken Bridge, Shellfield Road was formed ‘by accident’ more than 200 years ago as shrimpers threw the remains of shellfish from the back of their cottages.

The remains gradually created a thoroughfare, which was eventually used by residents.

He said: “Most of the bungalows and cottages down Shellfield are in fact back to front. The road formed because the shankers threw the shells on the road.

“As the foundations of the road were not laid properly, that could be why the road has collapsed so often over the years.”

Meols Ward councillor John Dodd has spent the last few months campaigning on behalf of residents.

He said: “Resurfacing Shellfield Road has been at the top of the ward councillors’ list of priorities for a long time and it is excellent news for the residents who live there.”